title: EMS agenda for the future: where we are ... where we want to be. EMS Agenda for the Future Steering Committee.
abstract: During the past 30 years, emergency medical services (EMS) in the United States have experienced explosive growth. The American health care system is now transforming, providing an opportune time to examine what we have learned over the past three decades in order to create a vision for the future of EMS. Over the course of several months, a multidisciplinary steering committee collaborated with hundreds of EMS-interested individuals, organizations, and agencies to develop the "EMS Agenda for the Future." Fourteen EMS attributes were identified as requiring continued development in order to realize the vision established within the Agenda. They are Integration of Health Services, EMS Research, Legislation and Regulation, System Finance, Human Resources, Medical Direction, Education Systems, Public Education, Prevention, Public Access, Communication Systems, Clinical Care, Information Systems, and Evaluation. Discussion of these attributes provides important guidance for achieving a vision for the future of EMS that emphasizes its critical role in American health care.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
authors.forename: T R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Delbridge
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bailey
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Chew
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Conn
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Krakeel
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Manz
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: O'Malley
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Ryan
authors.forename: D W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Spaite
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Stewart
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Suter
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Wilson
mesh_terms: D004631:Emergency Medical Service Communication Systems / Q000639:trends; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000639:trends*; D004634:Emergency Medical Technicians / Q000193:education; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D012106:Research / Q000639:trends; D014481:United States